Having good credit is important because it determines whether you'll qualify for a loan. And, depending on the interest rate of the loan you qualify for, it could mean the difference between hundreds and even thousands of dollars in savings. A good credit score could also mean that you are able to rent the apartment you want, or even get cell phone service that you need.

This part of your credit score will look at how much debt you have. Your credit report uses your statement balance. So, even if you pay your credit card statement in full every month (never pay any interest), it would still show as debt on your credit report, because it uses your statement balance. This part of your score will look at a few elements:

Hi Jenny, Doing a soft credit check, such as just pulling your credit score with Credit Sesame, does not impact your credit score. On the other hand, if you are doing a hard credit inquiry, such as applying for a loan, that can slightly reduce your score. Renting an apartment for some credit bureaus would have an effect on your score, while others would not considerate it.
An award-winning writer, editor and content strategist, Bob Musinski focuses on trends and issues related to credit cards and loans for U.S. News. He also has written dozens of stories for publications such as AAP News, Naperville Magazine and Natural Products Insider. He worked as an editor and reporter for three daily newspapers and an international wire service, where he covered events such as the World Series and Super Bowl and earned a national writing award from the Associated Press. His experience also includes planning and writing annual reports; strategizing, editing and writing for blogs; speechwriting; and strategic messaging development.
Hard to Get a Lender’s Exact Score: It’s often impossible to predict exactly what type of credit score a lender will use, especially since many lenders customize over-the-counter credit score models to suit their particular needs. And if you can’t get the specific type of score your lender of choice is going to use to evaluate your application, there’s really no reason to be picky.
WalletHub is the only free credit score provider that updates daily! Information from TransUnion is updated between 3 and 6 a.m. ET daily, including weekends. Although we check for new info on your report every day, if a lender does not send TransUnion updates fast enough, it will not immediately show up on your WalletHub profile. Creditors typically report new information to the credit bureaus every 30 days, but the frequency of updates can vary. With that said, if more than 30 days pass but you still don't see the updated information, a good idea would be to contact your lender about it, to make sure the necessary info was sent to the credit reporting agencies.
Annualcreditreport.com and the nationwide credit reporting companies will not send you an email asking for your personal information. If you get an email, see a pop-up ad, or get a phone call from someone claiming to be from annualcreditreport.com or any of the three nationwide credit reporting companies, do not reply or click on any link in the message. It’s probably a scam. Forward any such email to the FTC at spam@uce.gov.